Department of Psychology Works

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Browsing Department of Psychology Works by Author "Aalsma, Matthew"

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    Conduct disorder symptoms and illicit drug use in juvenile justice involved youth: The reciprocal relationship between positive illicit drug use attitudes and illicit drug use
    (Taylor & Francis, 2018-07-03) Kolp, Haley M.; Hershberger, Alexandra R.; Sanders, Jasmyn; Um, Miji; Aalsma, Matthew; Cyders, Melissa A.; Psychology, School of Science
    Conduct disorder (CD) symptoms cooccur at high rates with illicit drug use in juvenile justice involved youth, which results in poorer outcomes; however, research has not identified where best to intervene in this relationship, limiting the identification of modifiable risk factors to reduce negative effects of CD symptoms. Two mediation models were examined to investigate the potential for CD symptoms to influence a reciprocal relationship between illicit drug use and positive drug attitudes, controlling for age, gender, and race. Data were examined for 245 juvenile justice involved youth (mean age = 15.46, SD = 1.30, range 12-18, 64.9% Black, 80.4% male) who completed court-ordered psychological assessments. Findings indicate: (1) Positive attitudes toward illicit drug use significantly mediated the relationship between CD symptoms and illicit drug use (β = 0.16, CI 0.09-0.27; test for indirect effect z = 4.17, p < .001) and (2) illicit drug use significantly mediated the relationship between CD symptoms and positive attitudes toward illicit drug use (β = 0.20, CI 0.12-0.32; test for indirect effect z = 4.87, p < .001). Overall, the present study suggests that CD symptoms impart risk for illicit drug use both indirectly, through more positive attitudes toward illicit drug use, and directly, which further strengthens positive attitudes toward illicit drug use.
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    Family and Peer Influences on Substance Attitudes and Use among Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth
    (Springer, 2019-02) Zapolski, Tamika C. B.; Clifton, Richelle L.; Banks, Devin E.; Hershberger, Alexandra; Aalsma, Matthew; Psychology, School of Science
    Juvenile justice-involved youth experience high rates of substance use, which is concerning given associated negative consequences, including health and functional deficits. Family and peer factors are associated with a high risk of substance use among justice-involved youth. It is hypothesized that this risk process operates through pro-drug attitudes. However, limited research has been conducted on the mechanisms through which family and peer factors increase risk for substance use among juvenile justice involved youth. The current study examined both the direct and indirect effects of family and peer substance use on youth's substance use (alcohol and illicit drug use). We also examined whether this relationship differs by race. 226 detained youth (81.9% male; 74.3% Black) were recruited from an urban county in the Midwest and completed a clinical interview and substance use assessment battery. A direct effect of family/peer risk on illicit drug use was found for all youth, though the effect was stronger among White youth. Results also supported the indirect effect pathway from family/peer risk to both illicit drug use and alcohol use through pro-drug attitudes. This pathway did not vary by race. These findings suggest that interventions should focus on targeting both family/peer risk and pro-drug attitudes to reduce substance use. Given the racial difference in the direct effect of family/peer risk on illicit drug use, there may be other factors that influence risk more strongly for White youth, which warrants further investigation.
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    Implementation of a Brief Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills Group in High Schools for At-Risk Youth: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study
    (JMIR, 2022-05-12) Zapolski, Tamika; Whitener, MacKenzie; Khazvand, Shirin; Crichlow, Queenisha; Revilla, Rebecca; Salgado, Eduardo F.; Aalsma, Matthew; Cyders, Melissa; Salyers, Michelle; Wu, Wei; Psychology, School of Science
    Background: Adolescence is a developmental period marked by engagement in risk-taking behaviors, especially among impulsive or emotionally dysregulated youth. Thus, interventions that teach skills to reduce the risk of negative outcomes associated with emotional dysregulation are required. Social and emotional learning (SEL) programs have been developed to address both adolescent emotional dysregulation and risk-taking behaviors; however, current programs have mostly been implemented among younger youth and are used as a tier 1 universal intervention rather than a targeted tier 2 intervention for youth identified with emotional regulation difficulties. Objective: This study aimed to address the need for SEL programming that can be delivered in schools, particularly for older youth who have difficulties with emotional or behavioral dysregulation, to reduce the risk of health-risk behaviors among this population. Methods: Here, we outline the implementation of an SEL intervention titled Going 4 Goals, a 9-session adaptation of the Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents (DBT-A) program delivered to at-risk high school students in a school setting. The primary objectives of the study are to test whether participating in the skills group intervention produces significant increases in the core DBT-A skills of mindfulness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness, while also producing significant decreases in substance use and risky behaviors. These primary outcomes are based on changes in participant scores between baseline and after the intervention and follow-ups at 1, 3, and 6 months compared with a control group of youth participating in the school's health curriculum at the same time points. Qualitative interviews will also be conducted with intervention participants and school staff to examine acceptability and facilitators of and barriers to the intervention. Results: A total of 171 participants across 13 groups had been enrolled in the intervention, with data collection ending December 2021. Data analysis will begin in the spring of 2022, with expected results to be published in the spring of 2023. Conclusions: This paper describes the protocol of the 9-session school-based adaptation of the DBT-A intervention and discusses the strengths and limitations of the study and future directions.